1. Field of the Invention
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to removing contaminants from boron powder.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Boron powder is used as a primary component of boron coatings in numerous applications. Such applications include, but are not limited to boron coatings used for neutron detection, abrasion protection for die-casting dies, improved wear resistance for biomedical implants, etc. Some of these applications are adversely affected by contaminants within the boron powder, as the contaminants can be detrimental to boron coating applications.
A contaminated boron powder can include organic contaminants from various sources. For example, jet milled boron powder has been found to be susceptible to contamination from the air supply used in the milling process. Specifically, boron powder contaminants may include lubrication oil from an air compressor when compressed air is used to operate a jet mill. This contamination can result in coating defects such as non-uniform coatings and gas contamination resulting in degraded coating properties. Other example contaminants are polymeric liner material from the jet mill, adhesive materials used to attach the polymeric liner material to a jet mill interior wall, and metal particles from the jet mill interior wall.
Boron powder is a relatively expensive material which, in turn, makes both contaminated boron powder and coated goods costly missteps in the manufacturing process. Some previous methods of recovering contaminated boron powder include rinsing the powder with hexane, methylene chloride, and ethylene glycol, each in combination with filters and/or centrifuges. Therefore, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method of removing contaminants from the surfaces of boron powder particles.